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Text File | 1994-09-22 | 19KB | 394 lines

▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▀▀▄ ▄▀▀▄▀ ▄ ▄ ▀█▀ ▄▀▀▄ ▄█▀▄ ▄▀▄▀▄ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ▄ █▀▀▀ █ █ █ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▄▀ ▀▄ ▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▄ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Version 1.10 The Ansiterm program for Operation: Overkill v1.10 [ TERMS AND CONDITIONS ] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This product is completely copyrighted by Dustin Nulf. Ideas and actual mechanics based on the concept of Operation: Overkill II (which include the main scenario, the Complex layout, the Infrared Scanner, Action Combat, combat descriptions, all text files, and self-evident ideas) are fully copyrighted and registered with the Library of Congress. In no way should the object code be modified and redistributed. This could result in an abnormal function with the program, in which the authors bear no responsibility from the Sysops. No exterior programs should interfere with the normal registration process. This program is presented on an "as is" basis with no guarantee to the system operator or liability against the authors. [ WHAT IS A TERM PROGRAM? ] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Introducing with the Operation: Overkill v1.00/1.10 version, a "drop-to-DOS" color terminal program, OOIITERM. What is a "term" program exactly? In Overkill's case, OOIITERM is a separate program that can be used by remote players over the modem when they are playing Overkill on a BBS. OOIITERM is called a "terminal" program because of its ability to communicate with the modem and acts in a similar fashion to other packaged terminal/communications programs (Qmodem, Telix, Telemate, etc). However, OOIITERM doesn't have all of the fancy gadgets that the full-fledged communication programs do. Instead, OOIITERM simply communicates through the modem and interprets any special commands that the Overkill game sends out. The main reason a remote player would want to use this OOIITERM program when playing Overkill is for speed. 2400 baud callers, for instance, will benefit highly from this term program. At 2400 baud, the text from the Overkill game scrolls down the remote player's side at a seemingly slow rate; 240 characters per second maximum. What OOIITERM does is speed up this process by over 1000%; faster than 6000 characters per second in some cases. In a blink of an eye, the OOIITERM displays text screens that would otherwise take 5-10 seconds to display at 2400 baud. Even for the new standard of 14,400 callers, OOIITERM is just as fast. This package should be available for all of users where an Overkill game on a BBS is found. It also might be beneficial for Sysops to post a message in an Overkill game (NEWS.ASC or in the Communications Post) directing them to the files section where OOAT11.ZIP/OOAT11SB.ZIP is available. Please note that there are two different versions of the Overkill Ansiterm available. The standard package is called OOAT11.ZIP, and this is the basic Ansiterm that has everything but sound. The other package is called OOAT11SB.ZIP and is exactly the same as OOAT11SB.ZIP except that it has sound files added to the .ZIP file. The OOAT11SB.ZIP package supports Soundblaster and Soundblaster compatible cards. Music and sound effects can be heard when using the Ansiterm while playing Overkill 1.00/1.10. There is more information about the Soundblaster FX in a section below about the editing the configuration file, OOIITERM.CFG. Also, please note that the Overkill Ansiterm can not be used for local mode play. The Ansiterm only works remotely from a player's system. For local players, the Overkill program automatically interprets the text in Ansiterm mode (even though no remote caller is conneted) for for increased speed and local sound. [ SETTING UP OOIITERM ] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you're an Overkill fan and an avid player, you are probably reading this portion of the document file after skipping the above sections! <g> To set up OOIITERM, create a new directory off of your communications program directory. For simplicity, the main term program that I use is Qmodem, and the directory that it's in is C:\QMODEM. So, I would make a directory from the Qmodem directory, and I'll call it "OOIITERM". So type in from the DOS prompt of your Qmodem directory: C:\QMODEM\MD OOIITERM ...this will make a directory (MD), "OOIITERM", from your Qmodem directory. All of you DOS wizards are smiling right now from the simplicity of the making a subdirectory, but just to be sure, all the steps will be discussed so that DOS users of all caliber will catch on the first time! Next, unzip the OOAT11.ZIP/OOAT11SB.ZIP package into this new directory, using PKUNZIP. C:\QMODEM\PKUNZIP OOAT11.ZIP C:\QMODEM\OOIITERM ...this step will unzip the contents of OOAT11.ZIP into the new directory that we previously created. Now, switch to the new OOIITERM directory by typing in: C:\QMODEM\CD OOIITERM ...and the prompt should look like: C:\QMODEM\OOIITERM\ Perform a listing of this directory by typing in "DIR". A list of several files should scroll down your screen. If this is not the case, something went wrong in the above steps in unzipping the OOAT11.ZIP package into this directory. If all is a go, you'll notice a OOIITERM.CFG file in this directory. Load up your favorite text editor and edit this ascii file. You should see: ─[ OOIITERM.CFG ]─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 2 | Modem Com Port (com port 1,2,3,4) 4 | Modem IRQ Address (irq addr 4,3,4,3) 38400 | Baudrate (1200,2400,4800,9600,19200,38400,57600,115000 ATZ | Modem Init String N | Activate Sound Effects (Soundblaster/SB Compatible required) ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── The first line of the file is the communications port for your computer that your modem is connected to. Most likely this value is either a 1 or 2, but can be expanded to 3 and 4. If you assign the wrong comport to this value, you may experience lockups when trying to run OOIITERM. The second line is the IRQ address that your modem is currently set for. Usually, the default values are related to the comports: com 1/irq 4; com 2/irq 3; com 3/irq 4; com 4/irq 3. Of course, your setup maybe different for your system. The third line is the baudrate at which your modem will try to connect at. The majority of the time this field will never change unless you change your modem hardware. For high speed modems, you can set this value to 9600, 14400, 19200, or 38400. Set this option to the rate at which you dial out to BBS's. If you don't have a high speed modem, set this rate to 2400 or 1200 baud. If you experience problems with the Ansiterm getting "garbage" or "junk" on the screen, change this line in OOIITERM.CFG until you get the correct baudrate value. Persons with 14.4k modems can set this value to 38400 or 19200 baud. The next line is to be used to initalize your modem when no carrier is present upon loadup. Most modems are already set or have had their configuration written to ROM, so an "ATZ" is all that is required. Refer to your modem manual for an exact initialization string if the default does not work correctly. The next line is a toggle to activate the Soundblaster capabilities that are built into the Ansiterm. If you have a Soundblaster card or compatible card in your system, and if you have downloaded the OOAT11SB.ZIP package, you can set this line to 'Y'. If you only have the OOAT11.ZIP package, which doesn't include the sound FX files, this Soundblaster option will not work. If this is the case, set it to 'N'. To check to see if your sound card is compatible with the Overkill Ansiterm, load up the term in local mode. Type in: "OOIITERM" ...at the DOS prompt in your Ansiterm directory. Press <enter> to bypass the "modem not responding" since we're only in local mode. If you do not see any text on the screen that warns you about an incompatible sound card or interrupt conflict, your card will more than likely work with the Ansiterm. Next, press F10 to activate a sound. You should hear: "Welcome to Operation: Overkill!" If you don't hear anything, make sure that the volume on your sound card is turned up. If you press F10 again and still don't hear anything, your sound card may not be compatible with the Ansiterm. [ LOADING OOIITERM ] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can load up OOIITERM in many different ways. The most simplistic way to load the AnsiTerm is to type in "OOIITERM" from DOS, in a directory that the term is in (C:\QMODEM\OOIITERM). To automate this procedure, it would be ideal to have the Ansiterm load up with a touch of a button from your communications program. In most terminal programs, there are two ways to automatically load up batch files; the first being with "macros" (or sometimes called "hot keys"), and the second method dealing with "self-defined download protocols". Macros and download protocols save you the time of shelling to DOS, changing to the OOIITERM directory, and then executing OOIITERM. I. Macros Since I use Qmodem, I'll discuss the steps in setting up macros for this particular communications program. However, since not everyone uses Qmodem, the macro concepts should work for most communication programs. With my version of Qmodem, the ALT-J key lets me edit the current macro settings. The macro keys available to me are standard function keys (the F1 through F10 keys), Shift-F1..F10, and ALT-F1..F10. I want to select the ALT-F10 key as my "OOIITERM button", meaning that when I press ALT- F10, the OOIITERM will automatically load up. Select ALT-F10 as your OOIITERM macro (or the macro keys of your desire), and you should be able to type in your macro text. For Qmodem, there is a neat little function that will automatically shell to DOS: "@SHELL". Other communication programs might have a similar command, so press 'F1' for online help if its available. In conjunction with this, we want our macro key to load up a batch file that automatically switches to the OOIITERM directory and activate the term program. Let's say the name of the batch file we want to use (we haven't created the batch file yet, but we will after this step) is "TERM.BAT". Now in your macro text, type in: "@SHELL TERM.BAT" (...minus the quotations of course) After doing this, save that macro and exit back to DOS. In the main directory of your communications program, load up your favorite text editor and let's create the TERM.BAT file. It's contents are simple: ─[ TERM.BAT ]─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── cd\qmodem\ooiiterm 'Switch to the directory OOIITERM is in ooiiterm 'Load up OOIITERM cd\qmodem 'After OOIITERM exits, return to main directory exit 'Return to the communications program ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── When you are signed onto a BBS and are about to play Overkill version 1.00/1.10, press your newly created "OOIITERM button" macro key (ALT-F10 in my case). Your terminal program should then drop to DOS, execute the TERM.BAT file, which in turn loads up OOIITERM. If this doesn't occur, you may need to check your macro text to make sure that it's correct and that the macro keys allow for a shell command. II. Self-Defined Download Protocols With most communications programs, you can also define "external download protocols". These self-defined protocols can be set up in your terminal program to load up when you want to download a file. The external protocol program is loaded up with a batch file, which explains how OOIITERM can be activated even though we're not really downloading a file. Although using the external download protocols as a means to load up OOIITERM, this method is not as efficient as a macro key is. However, if your macro keys do not offer a shelling command, this might be your only route. The first step is to load up your communications program and look for a feature that you may edit/alter the protocols. If you find a section that allows you to edit the download protocols and can specify whether the protocol is internal or external, you've found the correct section. If your program does not have the ability to edit external download protocols, don't fret. You can load up OOIITERM the old fashion way by using the "drop-to-DOS" key, switching to the OOIITERM directory, and typing in "OOIITERM" manually. In Qmodem, you fortunately do have the ability to edit external download protocols. Go into this section and add a new protocol field to edit. Select a letter that hasn't been used yet in your current list of protocols, such as 'O', or 'T', or possibly another key that you know is not being used. Type in a name for the selected protocol, like "OOIITERM" or whatever you wish to call it. Next, you'll probably be asked the name of the batch file to invoke. Type in "TERM.BAT" or another name that you'd like associated with the OOIITERM program. We haven't created this file yet, but we will shortly. The rest of the information in the protocol field can be left blank or unedited since that's all we need to edit. Save that information and exit your communications program. Now, we'll create the "TERM.BAT" file that will be invoked. It should look similar to this: ─[ TERM.BAT ]─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── cd\qmodem\ooiiterm 'Switch to the directory OOIITERM is in ooiiterm 'Load up OOIITERM cd\qmodem 'After OOIITERM exits, return to main directory exit 'Return to the communications program ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── (Note that there is no difference between this batch file and the batch file used for the macro keys setup.) When you are signed onto a BBS and are about to play Overkill version 1.00/1.10, press the download key (most likely the PGDN key) of your communications program. You should see a listing of available protocols for you to choose from. Press the key that correlates with your new OOIITERM protocol. Your terminal program should then drop to DOS, execute the TERM.BAT file, which in turn loads up OOIITERM. If this doesn't occur, you may need to tinker with the download protocol that you created and check your TERM.BAT file to make sure that it is in the correct directory. [ OOIITERM COMMANDS ] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To load up OOIITERM from the DOS prompt, type in "OOIITERM". The program will then attempt to hook into the current modem connection, if any. If your modem is currently connected to another modem, press <ENTER> or '?' to see if you get a response. If you don't get a response for a while, the term program may be locked up due to a com port conflict or an incompatible baud rate. In this case, you'll need to exit OOIITERM by hitting ALT-X and then edit the configuration file OOIITERM.CFG to make the necessary changes. If you want to test out the program to make sure it is working first, you can type in "OOIITERM LOCAL". Pressing 'F1' will display this help screen: ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Operation: Overkill BBS Door Game Ansi-Terminal v1.1a │ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ F1 Θ Available options │ │ F10 Θ Local sound test │ │ ALT-B Θ Change baudrate │ │ ALT-C Θ Clear the screen │ │ ALT-D Θ Dial a number │ │ ALT-H Θ Hangup/Drop carrier │ │ ALT-P Θ Change comport │ │ ALT-S Θ Shell to DOS │ │ ALT-X Θ Exit Ansiterm │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ [ ACTIVATING OOIITERM ] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now that you know how to load up the Overkill Ansiterm, a good question would be "So when do I load it up?" You can load up the Ansiterm any time after you log onto the BBS that hosts an Overkill 1.00/1.10 game. Generally, you'll want to load up the Ansiterm before you press the key to enter Overkill on a BBS. This way, you'll be able to see the maintenance information that Overkill displays before the actual game part loads up. [ MEMORY REQUIREMENTS ] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Overkill Soundblaster Ansiterm package (OOAT11SB.ZIP) requires more memory than the regular Ansiterm (OOAT11.ZIP). If you receive any runtime errors when Ansiterm is loaded, it is most likely because of memory restrictions. So, when you load up the Ansiterm, make sure that you have plenty of conventional memory (640k) available. If you can swap memory to disk when dropping to DOS from your communications program, this saves a lot of memory for the Ansiterm. Also, reduce the number of any TSR programs that may be loaded up if you experience any runtime errors. EMM386, QEMM, or some type of memory manager may be required to load the ansiterm. Check your CONFIG.SYS file in the root directory to see if a memory manager has been installed. [ TIME CLOCKS/BUFFERS ] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Before you run the Ansiterm, your computer must have a functioning internal clock. All new IBMs/compatibles have internal clocks, but some older computers may not. The date and time must also be set correctly. Some people may experience a "Soundblaster I/O not initialized" error when you are not even using the OOAT11SB package and have the configuration file set to 'N' for Soundblaster. If this happens, try raising your BUFFERS line of your computer's CONFIG.SYS file (found in the root directory). A value of 25 or 30 should be sufficient. If problems still persist, make sure you have a memory manager present in the CONFIG.SYS file in your root directory (for example, EMM386 or QEMM). Please spread this file around as much as possible, and I hope you enjoy the Overkill Ansiterm! Operation: Overkill and the Overkill Ansiterm are copyrights and licenses of Dustin Nulf.